Full Transcript for In the Running

00:05:19.099 You got the dog. 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:27.579 On a Saturday morning in May, Renema's supporters show up at a local orphanage. 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:29.419 They're going to cook lunch for the kids. 00:05:32.459 --> 00:05:37.500 One of the volunteers is Kiara, who lugs around a heavy bag filled with ingredients. 00:05:37.739 --> 00:05:40.539 I'm hoping to feel like I made a difference. 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:42.620 Definitely that's my number one. 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:47.179 And honestly, just that I can make children feel comfortable. 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:52.139 And for me, like I'm I hope I could make changements. 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:59.019 The orphanage is in a big, beautiful suburban home with a winding driveway. 00:05:59.179 --> 00:06:02.620 There's a lush garden with toys scattered across the yard. 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:05.259 In front of the main house, there's a small cottage. 00:06:05.419 --> 00:06:07.259 That's where the volunteers are cooking. 00:06:07.419 --> 00:06:12.779 The problem is on top of the none of them are that good in the kitchen. 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:15.659 And then on the we're gonna put the tombolo. 00:06:16.219 --> 00:06:16.299 Yes. 00:06:17.419 --> 00:06:17.659 Exactly. 00:06:17.979 --> 00:06:18.459 Give me a plane. 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:19.339 Now get going. 00:06:19.739 --> 00:06:20.139 Get going. 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:20.859 Excuse me. 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:21.819 Can I have proper place? 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:25.819 Four of them crowd in the tiny kitchen chopping vegetables. 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:28.299 Yes, they have to be peeled. 00:06:28.539 --> 00:06:31.019 But Kiara is in charge of the actual cooking. 00:06:31.259 --> 00:06:36.939 We can even add it like in the beginning so that it's kind of so that it's not that flavor isn't too harsh. 00:06:37.659 --> 00:06:43.500 She ties her hair back in a neat ponytail and squeezes herself into the corner next to the stove. 00:06:43.739 --> 00:06:49.500 While the other volunteers are outside playing games with the kids, Kiara's team finishes up the soup. 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:52.139 They chat about life to pass the time. 00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:57.819 Renewa's friend Ashley says her own experiences with anxiety drew her to this work. 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:04.060 A few weeks ago, both her and Ronewa had a panic attack at the exact same time. 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:07.899 I usually have panic attacks. 00:07:07.979 --> 00:07:10.620 I'm just a stressful person in general. 00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:13.500 So like it's not something new to me. 00:07:13.739 --> 00:07:15.659 Um I don't know. 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:18.699 And it's it's like you don't know what's actually affecting you. 00:07:18.859 --> 00:07:20.299 It's like it just comes. 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:30.459 According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, one in five South African teens experience a mental health condition. 00:07:30.699 --> 00:07:32.779 Anxiety is amongst the most

common. 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:36.379 And 60% of affected teens don't seek help. 00:07:36.539 --> 00:07:41.339 So next week, Renewa is going to hand out flyers about mental health outside his school. 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:46.060 He'll also host an event for parents and their kids to talk about mental health together. 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:55.819 I think mental health being important to me is because it has affected me and it has affected everyone. 00:07:56.539 --> 00:08:00.939 Meanwhile, Niboa kicks off his campaign by getting out into the community. 00:08:01.099 --> 00:08:04.779 He wants to understand the realities of young people living in the city. 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:07.339 So he visits a fellow counselor's neighborhood. 00:08:07.659 --> 00:08:16.379 I went to Deep Gloucement and I went to Deep Dale and I realized that I am a very privileged person. 00:08:17.179 --> 00:08:19.979 Nabor speaks a lot about his privilege. 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:25.099 He grew up in a two-parent home, something only a third of South African children experience. 00:08:25.579 --> 00:08:29.579 Both his parents work, they have a car, he goes to a great school. 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:34.539 So seeing an illegal dumping site in the township was a very different reality for him. 00:08:34.940 --> 00:08:45.899 There was piles of trash that were burning, there was thrown away slippers, there was um papers, there was mattresses, and it was just stacked up. 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:50.940 And the smell there, the water running there was grayish green. 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:54.620 De Boa takes out his phone to record a video of the scene. 00:08:54.939 --> 00:08:56.220 A couple of kids walk by. 00:08:56.539 --> 00:08:58.699 I'm recording, they're like, be careful with your phone. 00:08:59.419 --> 00:09:02.620 Um there are nyow pears around that are gonna steal your phone. 00:09:04.939 --> 00:09:07.579 He's referring to people addicted to a cheap drug. 00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:16.139 It's often a mixture of heroin and cannabis mixed with other chemicals like rat poison, detergent, sometimes even antiretrovirals. 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:19.740 Debor's surprised to hear young kids talking about it. 00:09:20.139 --> 00:09:21.579 It's not proper. 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:23.740 I would be angry. 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:26.539 I would do everything in my power to fix this. 00:09:28.860 --> 00:09:35.819 It's the first time Debor's seen this up close, but it's the reality for millions of people in Johannesburg. 00:09:35.980 --> 00:09:37.259 The list is long. 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:41.419 Drugs, power cuts, and huge service delivery issues. 00:09:41.659 --> 00:09:47.740 Garbage trucks don't come by regularly, so residents don't even know when to take their trash out for collection. 00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:50.539 And that leads to more illegal dumping. 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:01.740 It stands for safety, opportunity, and wellness. 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:03.980 We need to make that difference

now. 00:10:04.220 --> 00:10:13.899 It is our turn to be the change that we want to see in our city, and that whatever we do now, we will reap the benefits later. 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:21.899 As part of his campaign, Nibor ran drives to distribute sanitary pads at school. 00:10:22.139 --> 00:10:26.220 He partnered with NBA Africa to promote girls' basketball in Soweto. 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:28.459 He even made the evening news. 00:10:28.860 --> 00:10:31.740 Nibor, you are a learner representative counselor. 00:10:32.139 --> 00:10:35.579 You mentioned quite a number of interesting points, and this was around voting. 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:43.419 And you said you guys are too young to vote, but you guys are already registering to vote, and you specifically said 2029, here I come, I'm still gonna make my vote. 00:10:43.740 --> 00:11:00.699 Your vote is not just a piece of paper, it's not just a ballot, but your vote is your voice, and your voice matters no matter if it is one in a million South Africans, your vote still matters because it all comes down to who we put at the top of the at 16. 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:02.620 Nibor's too young to vote. 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:08.779 But he believes political education needs to start early, because South Africa is a young country. 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:14.299 Almost a third of the population is under 35, but not many of them are registered to vote. 00:11:14.459 --> 00:11:18.779 So Ndiboh sees it as his duty to convince his peers to care. 00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:24.379 But there was a time when Debor himself didn't care. 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:30.779 The only thing in my mind was soccer, um, fortnight, and nothing else. 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:33.980 One day he saw his dad collecting clothes. 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:37.500 He'd drive all over the country and give them to people in need. 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:41.899 And I remember I was asking why you are doing this. 00:11:42.059 --> 00:11:45.899 He said, because we live in privilege. 00:11:46.299 --> 00:11:57.019 And so we must remember that our perspective isn't the only perspective, because the most dangerous thing to believe is that your perspective is reality. 00:11:58.459 --> 00:12:02.059 His dad taught him about speaking out and the power of public speaking. 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:05.659 They'd practice together over and over again. 00:12:20.059 --> 00:12:26.059 To speak calmly, with confidence, um, and being sure of the words that I know are coming out of my mouth. 00:12:27.659 --> 00:12:31.419 Meanwhile, Ronel's upbringing was very different from De Boa. 00:12:31.579 --> 00:12:34.059 He says his mom is his biggest influence. 00:12:34.220 --> 00:12:36.779 She made him into the young politician he is today. 00:12:37.019 --> 00:12:42.459 He describes her as a woke person who wanted to make sure that he turned out the same. 00:12:42.779 --> 00:12:47.500 For us, she was more like you need to know what's happening around you always. 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:57.179 She always taught us why it's important to vote, and like my mom was just like someone who was who just instilled politics and she loved politics all her heart. 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:00.939 Renewa lived with both of his parents when he was younger. 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:06.459 He didn't grow up playing on the streets with the neighborhood kids, nor was he glued to a device. 00:13:06.699 --> 00:13:12.299 He was always reading, writing, and studying to become the conscious young man his parents wanted him to be. 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:17.579 She was living her dream through me, both of them, at that time. 00:13:17.899 --> 00:13:28.779 There are some days in which, like, I do push myself because I still remember the words of my father, like, say, you're not gonna eat until you've studied this, this, and that. 00:13:30.059 --> 00:13:33.419 By the end of June, the campaigning is over. 00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:42.059 The decision of who will become the next junior mayor comes down to one major event, the big debate, which is followed by a vote. 00:13:42.699 --> 00:13:46.539 But the night before, it was all about the nerves for Renewa. 00:13:46.939 --> 00:13:49.980 That's when his dad told him he needed to call it quits. 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:54.299 And then for some reason I agreed and I said, No, you're right. 00:13:54.779 --> 00:13:55.500 You're right. 00:13:56.059 --> 00:13:58.220 Ronewa pulls out of the debate. 00:13:58.459 --> 00:14:03.100 He feels it was selfish to quit, but he's relieved that the pressure is off. 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:07.579 He still attends the debate and casts his vote for junior mayor. 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:15.579 It is also then my pleasure to announce the junior mayor of Johannesburg for the term 2026-27. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:19.899 Congratulations to councillor Ndebu Antang. 00:14:24.699 --> 00:14:28.299 Ndee is now the junior mayor of Johannesburg. 00:14:30.860 --> 00:14:37.179 Okay, so Ranewa and Debu have known each other since they first joined Student Council. 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:40.699 But it's still hard to tell if they're actually friends. 00:14:40.939 --> 00:14:45.259 Renewa says he voted for Ndibour maybe with a bit of side eye. 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:50.860 There's not much I will say just based on the fact that I actually know him. 00:14:51.179 --> 00:14:53.579 So it's like, I can't say much. 00:14:53.819 --> 00:14:56.379 That is, he's great, you know. 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:58.939 I think he's gonna make a good mayor. 00:14:59.579 --> 00:15:02.779 And Ndibour gives him the side eye right back. 00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:06.539 I think he just didn't get the necessary votes to win the position. 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:18.220 But he was there during the mayoral debate and he was there during voting, and so I believe he didn't drop out, but I think his mental health pillar was a really significant one. 00:15:18.779 --> 00:15:23.980 And I do believe he is still pursuing helping people in that regard. 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:28.379 How it all really went down is hard to say. 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:31.340 Teens can be complicated, to say the least. 00:15:31.579 --> 00:15:34.139 But Nibor was right about one thing. 00:15:34.459 --> 00:15:40.059 Ronewa's rise campaign continues, even without having the title of mayor. 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:49.980 It stunts, because I think if I was to now just leave it and disperse, it destroys the meaning. 00:15:50.299 --> 00:15:50.860 Right. 00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:55.980 Because it's like the slogan itself is that we don't just survive, we rise. 00:15:56.620 --> 00:16:00.939 And rise is gonna rise at the end of the day, right? 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:07.980 Now then Devour's the mayor, you'd think he'd be celebrating and taking in all the applause. 00:16:08.139 --> 00:16:11.579 But instead, he goes home to light a candle. 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:17.419 The scent of the candle, the light that barely flickers because the room is very still. 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:25.259 It is the perfect conditions for me to just be in my thoughts and not be distracted by things. 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:31.019 And I just think over everything that has brought me to that particular point. 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:33.740 And um, I pray over it. 00:16:34.299 --> 00:16:38.139 And in the end, I'm like, okay, this is what I need to continue doing. 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:46.699 He's got big plans for his two years in office, like tackling school safety and making sanitary pads accessible for girls. 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:51.019 But at 16, he's already thinking about legacy. 00:16:52.220 --> 00:17:09.500 I think one of the big things in life that I want is to never be forgotten, and not in an infamous way, because that is bad, but in a sense to say I've impacted someone and so many people so much that when people say my name, they're like, oh my gosh, that's the guy who changed my life. 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:27.980 This episode was produced by Gabir Jagram and edited by me, Lisedi Mukwatle, with assistance from Sarah K. 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:28.780 Kramer. 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:34.620 Original music by Kamani Sambo at Edible Audio in Cape Town. 00:17:34.860 --> 00:17:37.980 Sound engineering by Joe Jackson and Mike Rayfeld. 00:17:38.380 --> 00:17:40.700 Darsian Moodley is our senior producer. 00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:43.180 Joe Jackson is our managing producer. 00:17:43.340 --> 00:17:45.740 Mike Rayfeld is our executive producer. 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:48.940 Vuyo Litzeke is our executive director. 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:52.220 Special thanks to our partner, We the People. 00:17:52.780 --> 00:18:02.620 This episode and the work of Radio Workshop would not be possible without support from the Anglo-American Foundation, Fondation Chanel, and the Ford Foundation. 00:18:03.340 --> 00:18:07.019 We can only tell these important stories because of your support. 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:11.100 You can make a donation at radioworkshop.org.